Chapter 8

Shortly after boarding the ship, the Tamaranian princess was greeted with lizard-like creatures questioning who she was and taking her inside by force once she introduced herself. As they walked her down the halls, Starfire managed to take quick scans of the place and forced herself to memorize every little detail. After years of training with Robin, she picked up the habit of looking at her surroundings-if she was in an unfamiliar place- and imagining scenarios where she would be able to escape.

Ha, the irony. She was looking for a way to escape, when in reality, she wouldn't be able to due to her being the key to the survival of Tamaranians and humans. Still, she didn't stop looking. Maybe there was hope in her heart, or out of pure instinct.

As they rounded corners and went through multiple-rectangular-airlock doors, Starfire noticed how the amount of Gordanians increased as they went deeper into the spacecraft. What was so important that made more of them appear? Was it because of her? Was it something else?

"Klehber!" the guard to her right called.

"Sir!" A bulky, but not as big as the Gordanian guards she had encountered with, appeared in front of the alien that had called his name.

"Call Trogaar and inform him," the right guard looked down at Starfire and the look in his eyes disgusted her. She turned her eyesight to the tail of the one named Klehber, and saw his tail flicking side-to-side. Keeping her head low, her eyes looked upward to see Klehber staring at her, mainly her body, with a hunger in his eyes that she had seen before. She locked eye contact with him once he reached her face and made sure that her eyes appeared cold and deadly. To her satisfaction, Klehber instantly turned his attention back to the right guard as she could see his tail cease flicking side-to-side. The small victory did not last long as the guard continued, "that the troq has arrived," there went that look again, "new and improved." A growl threated to escape Starfire's mouth. "And," and? "that she will be taken to the center grounds for inspection." 'Inspection…? Oh, X'hal no…

"Yes sir!" In one swift movement, Klehber turned and marched himself away at a rapid pace. "Come on troq, you have someone who wishes to meet with you at once." Starfire looked at the guard on her right with a fire in her eyes, as she muttered curses under her breath. Luckily, he wasn't able to hear her as he just jerked her arm forward, with the guard on her left copying his movements.

After a while, the trio stopped abruptly and pushed the Tamaranian into a room. Actually, it wasn't a room. It was much bigger than that and she wasn't alone. The "room" Starfire was in was more like the size of a small cafeteria with different kinds of species on one side, and weapons on the other. There were Gordanians that were, needless to say, in front of the weapons and had whips in their scaly hands. The species to her left were of all different shapes and sizes. Some were small, some were large. Some were orange and green, some were a light blue. Some were humanoid, some were an indescribable shape. All were shaking.

Before Starfire was able to observe anything else, one Gordanian had kicked her to where the other species were and pointed his spear at her head. "Hurry up and stop wasting my time troq! Insignificant alien." Just as she was about to stand up and make the mistake of retorting, an alien that had some physical traits like humans reached out and pulled Starfire away. As shocked as she was, the Tamaranian still let the other drag her away as her senses came back to her. Even though she didn't prefer to show defeat, as it wasn't what Tamaranians liked to show, but she did bite her tongue and look down. She'd have to thank the…well, she didn't know what exactly held her back, but she would thank him or her…or it, later.

"Tch. At least there is one thing here that knows when to back down." Fortunately for that Gordanian, Starfire restrained herself. How badly did she want to hurt him though. One last look was thrown her way before the reptilian-like alien barked out orders in a language that she did not understand. Before she was able to process what happened, the hand that possibly saved her life, tightened around her arm, and that was when Starfire realized that it never left. Anyhow, said hand continued to be tightened around her arm and just as Starfire was going to turn around to look at the alien, her arm was pulled to the left. What? Why would he, she, or it, pull her? It wasn't until she looked to her left and saw that the other aliens in the line were marching, most somberly.

Oh.

Oh.

Did the alien save her again? About three-quarters of her hoped that it he, she, or it didn't. This wasn't the kind Earth that Starfire had grown used to. This was space, with many species of aliens, weak or strong, kind or cruel, friend or foe. This was a different world. This was the world that Koriand'r grew up in. This was what she had lived with for years after her family, save Blackfire, died. On Earth, she was Starfire: a bright, kind, heroine who believed that she could forget about the Koriand'r that knew how to injure and kill, with reason, those who did wrong to her. The Koriand'r that knew what it took to survive. She wanted to live and at this point, it seemed like the only way to do that was to become the stronger half. The only exception of Starfire being with her was if someone else's survival was in the way. If she could save someone from that forsaken place, then as X'hal as her witness, she would do her best to save them. Otherwise, from now on, she was Koriand'r, Princess of Tamaran and a warrior-trained by the warlords of Okaara-a fighter.

.-.-.

Once the line of aliens were taken to their destination, which was in a small room that was as big as two jail cells, everyone went into their own little world and didn't attempt to look or let alone speak to another. Her head rested against the one of the corners that she claimed as her own. Eyes closed, the only think Koriand'r was able to concentrate on was how long she was going to be in the spaceship, with the other aliens that she couldn't care less to know the names of at the moment, and how many of them would stay alive with her. Then again, was death the better option in a scenario like this?

.-.-.

X'hal knew how much time passed while they were in the cell, all Korinand'r knew was that it would always feel like a minute was an hour. An hour was a month, a month a year, and so on and so forth.

To Koriand'r, five hours passed before she heard, "Klrdkjiowe dsjiowebjs djiwohshs kehs shies sutushd?" The Tamaranian turned around from her corner and was face-to-face with the alien who saved her. 'From now on, I must learn to save myself…and others…'

Before the Tamaranian responded, she soaked in the alien's appearance. He, she, or it was about an inch taller than her, had light blue skin, and wore a dark blue suit. It covered the entire being's body, save the arms and feet. There were black boots that hugged the alien's feet and calves nicely. When it came to body structure, Koriand'r was unsure whether or not the alien was male or female. Although the arms were somewhat muscular, the chest had a small bump to it. The face was what captured Koriand'r's attention above all. When it came to the hair, it was fairly short but was also a little spiky. A midnight black colored the hair with the ends of it having a sky blue hue to it. The alien had high cheekbones and a hint of a big nose. But what fascinated Koriand'r were the eyes it possessed. The blue creature had big eyes and if one looked deep into the eyes, they would be able to see where the alien was looking. The reason one had to pay attention was because the eye's irises took up most of where the pupil would be and were a cerulean blue, which was something that Koriand'r hadn't seen before. Sure, she saw many blue eyes, but they were nothing compared to this creature.

No, there was only one other person who had just as beautiful eyes. Robin. She would never forget his eyes and how he entrusted her with them. After all, he cared very much about his identity and his eyes would definitely be something to remember. She almost forgot how much she missed him.

"May I help you?" Koriand'r doubted that this alien knew English, but there was always a possibility.

"Klrdkjiowe dsjiwobis djiwohshs kehs shies sutushd?" It repeated, with a little more irritation added.

"I am assuming you are not familiar with the language of Tamaran either, correct?" His, her, or it's face didn't change. She took that as a no. "Forgive me if this goes against your culture." More words, that he, she, or it didn't understand, were thrown at it. In the next moment, Koriand'r was kissing him, her, or it. It was a hard, single kiss but he, she, or it could feel their tongue touch the girl's. After a few more seconds of kissing and shock, Koriand'r released the alien and licked her lips. She held up a finger and took a breath.

"Are you able to understand me?" Koriand'r asked.

"Yes, but don't do that again." Clearing his, her, or it's throat, he, she, or it reached out and stroked both of Koriand'r's ear lobes twice. Seeing her face, he, she, or it responded. "Sorry, but this is how we introduce ourselves. I am Kinshrk. I am guessing that you are Tamaranian, based on the way you can now communicate with me."

"Uh, yes. I am Tamaranian and hello Kinshrk. My name is St-" Koriand'r caught herself and cleared her throat, "Koriand'r. If you do not mind me asking, are you a male? I believe I know the gesture you used to introduce yourselves. If I am correct, you are a…uh, what is the name again? Vlerthonian? Shrogken?"

A chuckle escaped the Vlerthonian or Shrogken's mouth. "I am Shrogken and male. About 99% of our population is male, which is quite unfortunate." A smile crossed Kinshrk's face. "For the future, I would like to apologize if I make any 'romantic' like gestures towards you. Shrogkens are a passionate race, so please don't think that anything I do is serious." Koriand'r shifted her gaze past Kinshrk's right shoulder, making sure that no other being there was paying attention. Luckily for the two, they weren't. They were probably thinking about what they did to deserve to be here, Koriand'r thought.

"You need not worry, I understand… So, what did you say to me before I did the language transferring?" At the mention of the kiss-no, it was a language transfer-Koriand'r blushed lightly as she remembered her first 'kiss' with Robin.

"Oh, I said 'Why haven't you thanked me?' Usually when you save someone's life, the polite thing to do is to thank them." At that moment, she understood that he was a smart ass.

Calming herself, Koriand'r took a deep breath and replied. "I was planning to but I forgot. However, I do not think one should indirectly force someone else to thank them. Who is to know? Perhaps I knew what I was doing and you interfered."

"Mhm, is that why you looked down as if you yielded? Are you acting like you have nothing to lose?"

"Well perhaps I don't have anything left that they can take away from me." Koriand'r's eyes shifted.

Kinshrk scoffed. "We all have something to lose. It might not be as big as you think, but it is important to you. Now, how did you end up here? Did the Gordanians capture you, threaten the lives of the people you care for, or were you sold into slavery?" Koriand'r's breath hitched. She tried her best to keep her face emotionless, but Kinshrk saw her eyes become a little wider. To this, he held up his hands in defeat and said, "Sorry, you don't have to answer that. Just curious is all." Koriand'r visibly relaxed.

"Troq!" Hearing the loud command, practically all the aliens there scattered to the four corners, two of them going to the corner where Koriand'r and Kinshrk were.

"TROQ!" Koriand'r growled before looking at Kinshrk apologetically. Before she could get out of the corner, Kinshrk reached out and lightly poked Koriand'r's nose. He then did the same to her forehead and her lips. Seeing how shocked she was, Kinshrk explained. "It's how my people say 'good luck'. I will see you soon Koriand'r." He then lightly pushed her towards the Gordanian, even though he didn't want her to go-due to the Gordanian's fierce nature-but he knew that if she didn't go, then who knew what they would do to her?

Koriand'r, now closer to the Gordanian, decided to step up and not hide anymore because if she cowered into a corner like the others, then it would show that she was afraid of them. There was no way that she would do that. Therefore, Koriand'r held her head up high and walked over to the Gordanian.

Within the next second after she went in front of the alien, a sharp sting spread throughout her right cheek. She felt warmth flooding throughout the spot and eventually recognized the metallic liquid that was trailed from where the Gordanian touched her. She was slapped, hard. And thanks to the sharp end of their claws, it was sure to leave a mark.

Koriand'r, in turn, clenched her jaw and fists while looking away. 'This is not Earth. You have done this before. This is for them.' A small and soft prayer about everyone on Tamaran and on Earth escaped her lips before she turned to look, no, glare at the lizard.

"That will teach you to respect the authority. Then again, I did not expect much from a troq like yourself." Reaching out, he grazed Koriand'r's newly formed cut and added, "I pray to your beloved X'hal that it caused you great pain as this was just a taste of what is to come."

Before anything else were to occur, the same guard that Koriand'r had seen earlier-Klehber was it? - appeared behind the larger Gordanian and saluted himself. "Sir!" The other Gordanian turned his head back. "He has arrived and is currently waiting in Gateway C!" As soon as the words left Klehber's mouth, the larger Gordanian had faced him completely and menacingly.

"Damn! Who chose to not inform me of this sooner!" The Gordanian commanded. Due to Klehber being in his presence at the moment, he dealt with the consequence that would, most likely, come. Klehber visibly shrunk while continuing to stutter. "I-I-I was the only one sent sir, but I believed that you already-"

"Quit your inadequate mouth Klehber! I will deal with you later, but as of this moment you will take the troq," Koriand'r's arm was hastily in the possession of the larger Gordanian before she was able to process what was happening, and was thrown towards Klehber. She faltered at first, but then composed herself and was suddenly being gently pulled, even though it looked like he was hurting her, throughout the corridors.

The walk was silent and Koriand'r didn't mind it to be honest. In fact, the lack of noise was something that she always praised when she was there. No howls of pain, no orders being barked, and certainly no cries of fear, despair, and hopelessness. Then again, it also meant that she could be alone and the last one left that survived the experiments.

"Don't speak unless spoken to. Good luck," was the last thing Koriand'r heard before she was pushed into a large gateway. Koriand'r seemed to have been consumed in her thoughts, not realizing that they had reached their destination.

Once she entered the entryway, the first thing that caught her attention was the amount of guards that were present: both a mix of Gordanian and Tamaranian. 'Wh-why are there Tamaranian guards here? Do they know of the situation?'

"Koriand'r," said girl looked up at the sound of her name in her native tongue, "it has been too long, hasn't it?"

Koriand'r froze and stared wide-eyed at the man before her. Many thoughts popped up in her head. 'I cannot believe this. Why is he here? X'hal…'

I have a lot to say. This information may or may not matter to you but I would like to clear it up so others will be able to understand.

When it comes to Karras, I have made him a prince (like in the comics) but there isn't going to be a peace treaty with the different parts of Tamaran. He's going to be kind of a major role along with Starfire and Robin.

Due to the absence of writing this story (I took a break from it in chapter three or four), I have decided to let the Gordanians be the minor role. Although they will have their moments, they may or may not appear as much as I would like to admit.

The three remaining Titans that I haven't spoken of-Raven, Beastboy, and Cyborg-will also be in the minority. Although I love them all, this is a Robstar fanfic and I have a lot of ideas for the two. Yes, those three will appear but maybe not as much as most people will like. Maybe I'll cut the scene to them once in a while, but so far, there may not be official bbrae in the end.

My knowledge on Starfire and her background (some stuff that I won't mention yet since it would kind of count as a spoiler alert, family, etc.) is somewhat okay. I know about her family but when it comes to her leaving with the Gordanians, that part is kind of a mystery to me. If I am not able to find something that's official, then I will make it up and tie it back to the official information (does that make sense?). Of course, I would not want newcomers to the Teen Titans fandom to be confused so I will state when I am not sure if something I said is true.

Now, not all of these are official but it's most likely that they will happen. I'll try to update when I can (I know it's sad and pathetic but at least twice a month), but school and responsibilities will come in the way.

If you're still reading this then I thank you, if not, then…I'm talking to no one huh? Anyway, please review, and all that other good stuff! I don't own anything but Warner Bros. and DC Comics do! Thanks for reading and I'll see you in the future!

Always yours,

light is in the dark

P.S. The idea of Kinshrk and Shrogkens is my idea-along with Klehber. Don't know why I decided to add in an OC but I did. Don't know why I made him and Shrogkens a "passionate" race but I did.

P.P.S. I know for a fact that there are grammar mistakes. For example, when it comes to "Koriand'r's", I'll be honest when I say that I have no idea what to do with that. If you guys could tell me what I have to do to make that look right, or give me feedback on the chapter, then many thanks will be given from me to you. Is anyone even reading this? No? …okay…